Mystical Fantasy : The Lazy Real Young Master [EN]-Chapter 201: Yolanda’s Pendant

One by one, the students stepped out of the examination hall.

The massive wooden doors that had remained tightly sealed since morning were now standing wide open without pause, as though exhaling the oppressive pressure that had accumulated within for hours on end.

The expressions that emerged were far from uniform.

Some were pale, as if they had just escaped an operating room, their breathing shallow and uneven, shoulders still rigid, fingers clenching small slips of paper bearing their exam numbers as though terrified the memories might evaporate if they loosened their grip.

Others kept their heads lowered deeply, lips moving in frantic murmurs.

"Question fourteen… was it B or C?"

"Damn it… why did I change it at the last second?"

Cold sweat slid down their temples despite the afternoon air beginning to cool.

Several female students covered their faces with their uniform sleeves, muffled sobs breaking free the moment they passed through the corridor.

Some tried to comfort their friends, yet their own voices trembled just as violently—each of them equally consumed by fear of the results.

Not a few immediately called their parents, trembling fingers tapping against their phone screens.

For these elite students, this exam was never merely about numbers.

It was a verdict upon their future reputation.

A judgment deciding whether they would walk proudly among the upper circles of society—or become a disgrace even to themselves.

Yet not everyone shared that same tension.

Some students, confident in their abilities or simply indifferent to the world's expectations, strolled out with relaxed steps, faint smiles resting on their lips.

A few even chuckled lightly, chatting about dinner reservations at luxurious restaurants or extravagant weekend parties.

"Not bad, honestly," one said while straightening his tailored school blazer.

"Yeah… but no matter the score, we're getting into a top university anyway," his friend replied lazily.

For this type of student, the answer sheet was nothing more than a formality.

A high score was a bonus.

A low score meant nothing at all.

Their family prestige, business networks, and parental influence were more than sufficient to pry open every door that remained forever sealed to the lower classes.

There was no fear.

No panic.

Only the unwavering belief that the world would always bend in their favor.

And among all of them—

Al stepped out, utterly drained.

His pace was calm, yet his shoulders sagged ever so slightly, as though a heavy burden had finally been lifted after pressing down on him since morning.

His face was neither pale nor bright.

Just… tired.

Not tired from confusion over the questions.

But tired from constantly restraining himself.

He released a long breath, walked toward his locker to retrieve his backpack, and prepared to leave.

My identity as an elite student is about to end. This is the most troublesome role I've ever had to play just for the sake of blending in, he thought.

Huff… after this, I can finally act a little more like myself.

He stepped outside, heading toward the school gate where his ride awaited, quietly enjoying the evening sky as dusk approached.

Al inhaled deeply, letting the air fill his lungs as if to purge the lingering tension trapped within.

The sun had already tilted westward, bathing the schoolyard in a dark orange glow. The shadows of trees stretched long across the asphalt, while the evening breeze carried the fresh scent of grass recently watered by the groundskeepers.

The watch on his wrist read a little past five.

Eight full hours.

Eight relentless hours of examinations.

And now—finished.

Near the school gate, amidst students being picked up by private chauffeurs and luxury cars flowing in and out endlessly—someone stood waiting for him.

Yolanda.

Her hair hung loosely and messily, damp with sweat—far more exhausted than she ever looked after martial arts training.

Her uniform was slightly wrinkled, clearly bearing the marks of a brutal day.

But what stood out the most was… the lingering unease etched across her face since morning.

The moment she spotted Al, she jogged toward him. Her backpack slipped from her shoulder and spilled its contents onto the ground as she stopped in front of him.

"Hey," she said while hurriedly gathering her things. "You still haven't answered me. What happened to Jogo?"

Her tone sounded light, yet her eyes were deadly serious.

Al halted in front of her.

He looked at Yolanda briefly—not coldly, but with a calm, contemplative gaze that offered her absolutely no comfort.

Several nearby students who witnessed the scene felt Al's attitude was indifferent, almost heartless.

Some wanted to intervene—but upon realizing that Al and Yolanda were the rumored couple who had been in conflict earlier that morning, they hesitated and chose not to interfere.

Both Al and Yolanda could hear the surrounding whispers, yet neither paid them any attention.

Al was simply too tired and eager to rest, feeling more like the victim for having his time taken away, with no intention of helping her.

Meanwhile, Yolanda couldn't care less about public perception. Her thoughts were entirely focused on her cousin.

Though she wasn't particularly close to Jogo, he belonged to the main branch of the Karagara family—naturally making her intensely curious about everything related to that central lineage.

To her, it felt absurd that Al seemed to know something about Jogo while she, a family member tasked with supporting the main branch, knew absolutely nothing.

Al remained observant, waiting for Yolanda to finish collecting her things before responding—when suddenly something caught his attention.

He bent down swiftly and picked up an object from the scattered pile of her belongings.

A silver pendant.

He held it up, studying it meticulously—turning it over, inspecting every detail, examining it repeatedly.

"This is?" he murmured softly.

Yolanda's eyes widened as she lunged forward.

"Hey—don't touch my stuff!" she snapped.

But Al moved faster, straightening up and stepping back slightly.

"Relax. I'm not planning to do anything with it," he said calmly. "I'm just curious—where did you get this?"

Yolanda charged again.

"What does it matter? Give it back! It's mine!" she retorted angrily while trying to snatch it.

This time, Al let her take it. He had no right to hold onto her belongings—and he was far too lazy to risk her screaming thief and turning the situation into something even more troublesome that would eat into his rest time.

"At least answer me," he said evenly. "That pendant… where did you get it?"

"I don't know why you're so obsessed with this thing," Yolanda snapped. "Whatever it is, stay out of my business. And... you should be the one explaining what you know about Jogo."

Al stared at her flatly, not expecting her to turn it into an argument. He didn't respond immediately—his eyes still fixed on the pendant.

His Dimensional Eye activated.

And just as he suspected, something inside that pendant was exactly what he had been searching for.

Just like I thought… the Dimensional Eye can't fully read it. But the energy radiating from within is identical to that paper fragment I took from Basri. I'm certain now—this pendant contains another piece of it.

Al finally looked at Yolanda again, a faint trace of resignation settling in his gaze.

"Alright. I'll tell you something about Jogo," he said quietly. "But you tell me where you got that pendant first. Deal?"

Yolanda was momentarily stunned by how suddenly Al had taken an interest in it. She lowered her eyes to the silver ornament now resting in her palm.

No matter how she looked at it, it seemed ordinary—nothing special at all. Yet if someone like Al could sense something from it, then there had to be something hidden within.

That thought sparked her curiosity.

And combined with her growing impatience to hear about Jogo, she finally nodded.

"Fine. Then talk," she replied.

Al shook his head lightly.

"Nope," he said casually. "You answer first before I start. The story about Jogo might take a while."

Yolanda nearly protested. Since morning, he hadn't told her anything—yet now she was the one who had to speak first?

It felt unfair.

But after grinding her teeth in frustration, she finally gave in.

"You'd better not go back on your word," she snapped irritably.

"Of course not," Al replied lazily.

Yolanda snorted softly before lifting the pendant.

"I don't know what's so interesting about this thing," she said. "But I happened to get it because of something related to you."

"Huh? Related to me?" Al asked.

She nodded and started walking toward a quieter corner of the school grounds.

Al followed without hesitation, understanding that the matter likely involved something supernatural. Though he could easily communicate through telepathy, Yolanda clearly hadn't reached that level yet.

"As you know," Yolanda said in a lowered voice once they reached the secluded area, "because of the curse you put on me, I keep feeling intense pain and screaming out of nowhere."

"And?" Al prompted as he stopped beside her.

"My parents thought I was sick," she continued. "They took me to several doctors, but none of them found anything wrong. Eventually, they started thinking it was some kind of mental trauma, and…"

"And they brought you to a shaman or spiritual healer, who gave you that pendant as some sort of protective charm," Al interrupted, cutting straight to the point.

Yolanda frowned at being interrupted but still nodded since his deduction was spot on.

"Yeah. Pretty much. But it wasn't a shaman. It was my grandmother who gave it to me. As for where she got it… she said it came from a friend of hers. I don't know who."

"I see… another mystery, then," Al muttered.

"Yeah. So what about it?" Yolanda asked. "Is there something strange about this pendant? With your abilities, you should be able to analyze it properly, right?"

Al shook his head.

"Whatever is inside this thing isn't something I can analyze right now," he replied. "If you're wondering whether it can help remove the curse I placed on you, I doubt it. Most likely, it can't. But that curse—I'll erase it eventually."

A faint smile curved his lips, yet his tone grew noticeably heavier.

"…I simply don't trust you yet. And honestly, you should be grateful. Most people who learn even a fraction about my true identity don't stay alive for long. You're lucky I only placed a restriction on you."

Hearing that, Yolanda felt an invisible pressure press down on her chest. Her body stiffened slightly.

Somehow, she believed him.

Al, meanwhile, turned his attention back to the pendant.

Whatever this thing truly is, Yolanda clearly doesn't know its origins. And I'll probably need to visit her grandmother. That friend of hers might have access to the remaining fragments of that ancient piece, he thought.

Yolanda shook her head lightly, finally breathing a little easier after enduring Al's oppressive presence.

"Hey… stop trying to scare me," she said. "And don't think I'm going to feel grateful or anything. The fact that you cursed me in the first place isn't much different from killing me."

Then she lifted her chin.

"So now… tell me about Jogo."

Al rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Jogo, huh…" he said teasingly. "Why should I even tell you about him?"

Yolanda took a small step back, half amused and half exasperated.

"Wow. You really can't be trusted at all, can you?"

Al chuckled softly.

"Hehe… it's not that I don't want to tell you. It just feels strange saying things that even your own family doesn't know."

"Tch. You just want everything your way," Yolanda snapped.

Al stopped laughing and shrugged lightly—simple, yet firm.

"Alright, alright."

He then began recounting most of what had happened between him and Jogo, carefully omitting any mention of Helos and their deeper connection, as well as downplaying the true nature of their battle from the café to the forest that night.

He only explained that there had been a romantic misunderstanding involving Rina, and that he had unintentionally defeated Jogo so badly that Jogo could no longer attend school.

His words were calm—never cruel.

"What?! You did that to him too?" Yolanda exclaimed after hearing everything. "Don't tell me you put a curse on him as well?!"

"A curse?" Al tilted his head. "More like I tried to cleanse the darkness inside him. But he refused to be cleansed and chose pain instead. Hehe."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Yolanda asked in confusion.

Al didn't answer.

He only looked at her with a complicated expression.

How interesting… both of these cousins are contaminated by pure Helos. Just through different paths. Jogo got his from Daraka's experiments, while Yolanda received hers from David.

Hmph… this is getting more troublesome. It's not just Daraka who has access to pure Helos anymore. Whoever and whatever is spreading it— the more humans become tainted, the heavier the dimensional threat grows.

Several seconds passed in silence before Al finally spoke again.

"Forget it. It's not important," he said. "You should go to his house and find out for yourself. Just send him my regards if you see him."

He exhaled softly.

"I'm tired. It's almost evening. Time to go home."

Yolanda's chest was still burning with unanswered questions after Al's vague words—like there was something crucial he had deliberately left unsaid.

Without realizing it, she clenched her fists.

But she knew it was better to end things here and go home.

Right now, she only had one desire—to get home as fast as possible.

To ask her parents.

To question Jogo's family members.

To speak with anyone who might know the truth.

However, before she could say another word—

a luxury car slowly pulled up in front of the school gate.

Its sleek body reflected the amber glow of sunset.

The window slid down.

David.

His gaze immediately locked onto Al.

Then shifted to Yolanda standing nearby.

From his perspective, the two of them looked as though they had been chatting intimately after the long exam.

David's brows furrowed.

A flash of displeasure crossed his eyes.

Yolanda and that orphan brat? They look pretty close. Don't tell me he's targeting her now after Fani, David thought angrily.

On the other hand, Yolanda had no idea why David suddenly appeared—but she instantly sensed trouble.

Her heart slammed against her chest.

She knew Al and David were in conflict, even if she didn't know the reason. And now she had been casually talking with Al right in front of him.

Damn it. This is going to be misunderstood.

One misunderstanding alone could shake her position completely.

Without saying a single word, David's expression hardened.

The window slowly rolled back up.

The car moved off gracefully—

and left.

Leaving the school gate behind.

Leaving Al and Yolanda standing there.

Yolanda panicked and rushed forward, but the car was already far away.

She hurriedly pulled out her phone and sent David a message. In the end, she was still David's lackey—and Vianna's junior—and she had never wanted their relationship to sour.

All she could do was curse herself.

And, of course, curse Al.

Since all of this happened because of him.

Meanwhile, Al could only stare blankly.

David was supposed to pick him up.

Yet he had just left.

Al blinked once.

Then raised an eyebrow.

"Huh… so he's not picking me up after all?"

His voice was flat—almost indifferent.

He let out a short sigh.

"Well, whatever."

He was far too lazy to be angry. After all, it was just a ride home—nothing worth getting upset over.

Al immediately turned away from the gate and started walking off to find a taxi, passing by the still-crowded students.

He left Yolanda behind, standing in place, glaring at his back in frustration.

His steps were calm.

As if nothing had happened at all.

And he headed home to enjoy his precious lazy time—more valuable to him than anything else in the world.